PHOENIX — Phoenix Police officer Paul Rutherford, 51, was struck and killed Thursday morning by a vehicle in west Phoenix while investigating another crash in the area .
A 23-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department, Officer Rutherford leaves behind his wife and two adult children.
“Our community has a reason to mourn because, once again, one of our officers was killed in the line of duty. This is just another example of the inherent dangers that our officers face each and every day, and yet they put that full uniform on and go out and serve our community,” Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said during a press conference.
Officer Rutherford was investigating a crash on Indian School Road near 75th Avenue when he responded to a “priority radio call” across the street.
Officer Rutherford was struck by a 2015 Ford Expedition at about 8:15 a.m. while he was crossing Indian School to respond to the other incident.
The driver of that vehicle has been identified as a 40-year-old woman. Police say that the woman was not impaired and has not been charged in the incident.
Today, Officer Paul Rutherford #6403 was killed in the line of duty when he was struck by a vehicle. Officer Rutherford had served the citizens of Phoenix for almost 23 years. We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/QOBW1pJeZP
— Phoenix Police Department (@phoenixpolice) March 21, 2019